Born in Amsterdam as a two-day festival, DGTL has quickly expanded with editions now taking place in Barcelona and São Paolo in Brazil, as well as hosted curated showcases during ADE.
The DGTL 2017 edition will take place on April 15th and 16th during Easter Weekend, once again providing a differing festival experience than its competitors by bringing in heavyweights in techno and house, paired up with local and international emerging talent. The roster of talent, which this year includes acts such as Speedy J, Maceo Plex, Dixon, Lee Burridge, Motor City Ensemble and Mind Against, is all housed on impressive stages within a raw, industrial setting and cutting-edge audio-visual productions.
On top of its musical programming and curated attendee experience, DGTL is also leading the way in festival sustainability thanks to its DGTL Revolution initiative. The program aims to always keep sustainability top-of-mind, through various concerted efforts that see the festival not only raise awareness on the subject of sustainability but constantly search for technological innovations to reduce waste, lower CO2 emissions and stimulate participation from attendees to do the same. We recently tackled the urgent need for sustainability in the music industry, a goal DGTL has been tackling for years now.
So what exactly has DGTL actually done to underscore their stance for festival sustainability?
Sustainable cups: The festival provides recycled cups to its attendees and adopts a cup return policy at all times.
Cashless system: The cashless system means no printed receipts and less unnecessary paper trail.
100% veggie: You won’t find meat at DGTL, an initiative borne from the understanding that a meat-less festival means less CO2 emissions, saves water, reduces destruction of topsoil & tropical rainforest, reduces the destruction of wildlife habitats & endangered species and as well as the use of antibiotics, growth promoters and chemicals. DGTL went meat-less following their 2015 edition, when they did the simple math from the 3972 beef burgers they sold: to provide the burgers the festival was responsible for the production of 6911,28 kilos of CO2 and the use of 6.156.600 liters water and 9930 kilos of forage. Click here for full information on DGTL’s veggie policy.
Peeing for plants: You read that right, DGTL is using your pee to make the world a better place, as urine contains phosphate, an increasingly scarce fertilizer! DGTL uses your pee to make fertilizer that they in turn use in their own green house to grow vegetables. Head here for more info.
Green House: DGTL has gone urban farming, growing their own vegetables and herbs to then use during the festival!
Art Projects: As part of DGTL’s effort to provide a unique experience to its attendees, the festival organizers for a myriad of art installations to be present on festival grounds. The aim is to engage visitors, working mostly with local artists on pieces that combine to present an unparalleled festival experience that gives something extra to everyone present. Sustainability is a huge criteria for any art project proposed, requiring artists to submit a list of all materials used and that they take into account the environmental impact of their work. The use of reclaimed or recycled materials is encouraged and DGTL asks to know what will happen of the art project once the festival is over. In deciding which art to host within its ground, DGTL management looks for art with a message, including those that forward the festival’s overall message of reducing waste, growing one’s own food, the importance of recycling, etc. Check out the festival’s dedicated art page here for more info on the art program they operate.
Trash Army: No sustainability effort would be complete without an efficient trash army, and DGTL boasts one of the best in the global festival market. Furthermore, DGTL uses all the trash collected for new and exciting projects every year, working not only on keeping the environment clean but in ensuring all the recyclable material gets used again.
Check out DGTL’s Revolution page for full information and details on the festival’s complete sustainability program, which are also being replicated for their Barcelona and São Paolo editions!
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